26 memorable DJs and radio personalities from WMMS-FM's past: The Buzzard turns 50

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's a big birthday for The Buzzard. For 50 years, WMMS-FM/100.7 has been making its mark on Cleveland's airwaves, breaking iconic rock bands and, lately, creating some of the most popular talk-radio shows in the country.

Those 50 years have seen a lot of change for the station.

"I think it's like a young nation, the changes of the times," said John Gorman, the station's program director during its 1970s and '80s Buzzard heyday. "They did a number of formats, and I was at the right place at the right time with a lot of other people. We had a pretty good run with it in the '70s to the mid-'80s."

WMMS-FM started up on Sept. 28, 1968, as a progressive-rock station, and earned fame as one of the country's most successful rock stations in the '70s. WMMS is known for breaking artists like Bruce Springsteen, Rush, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie, and for its Coffee Break Concerts that featured live performances by many of the top acts of the days, including Springsteen, U2, Cyndi Lauper and Warren Zevon.

In the '90s, it re-focused on alternative rock programming, and in later years, moved into an active rock program with popular talk programs like "Rover's Morning Glory."

"We had the right staff, the right soundtrack at the time. Everything else in Cleveland was going wrong except us," said Gorman about his early years at WMMS in the '70s. "The station, like any radio station, it really reflects the people who are running it and the ownership of the station. We were very fortunate that at the right time, the people I had to report to liked what we were doing and encouraged us to keep on going."

WMMS will celebrate its birthday Sunday at Blossom Music Center with a special anniversary concert featuring Ozzy Osbourne.

In honor of the station's milestone birthday, we've compiled a list of some of the Buzzard's most memorable DJs and behind-scenes personalities, spanning the full 50-year history of the station.

(Additional reporting by cleveland.com staff.)

Billy Bass

Bass built one of the most versatile careers in the history of Cleveland radio. One of the first black DJs in Cleveland radio, he worked at WIXY-AM/1260, and became one of the WIXY Supermen. He helped launch progressive-rock radio as a DJ and programmer at both WMMS-FM/100.7 and WNCR-FM/99.5. During his time at WMMS, Bass coined the phrase, "Cleveland: The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World." He worked a variety of record-industry jobs after that, becoming senior vice president of marketing at Chrysalis Records during the 1980s. He also managed Grammy-winning R and B superstar Luther Vandross. He returned to Cleveland radio in 1997, working at both WMJO-FM/105.7 and WZJM-FM/92.3. He is now a professional photographer in Cleveland. (Billy Bass is at far left in the photo, kickin' it with the WHK crew, circa 1968. The other DJs in the photo are, from left: Doc Nemo, Vic Boc, Martin Perlich and Pat Mack. WHK later became WMMS) (Plain Dealer file photo)